Herald Sun: CARLTON has found a likely president-in-waiting with businessman Greg Lee elected to the nine-member board. Lee, 50, ousted former player Chris Pavlou for one of the three seats up for grabs at Friday's election.
Talented Demons duo Cameron Bruce and Brent Moloney will be available for Melbourne's clash with Carlton on Sunday after they played a half for VFL club Sandringham yesterday.
The Australian: Sydney is likely to start its premiership defence on Saturday against Essendon without three of its grand final-winning team.
Adelaide Advertiser: PORT Adelaide ruckman Dean Brogan will put his fitness to the test at training today. After rehabilitating an injured back on the weekend, Brogan will be asked by the Power to prove himself at training at 2pm at Alberton or risk losing his round one spot to beanpole teenager Fabian Deluca, who is in line for his debut.
To borrow from a fairytale, just one bad nightmare ago the Big Crow had a great fall.
Unlike the fable, Neil Craig did exactly what all the king's men - and a coach whose name shall never again be uttered - could not. He put all the pieces together without making any major buys in the open market, a theme that deepened in the most recent off season. He has remarkably restored Adelaide as the AFL competition pacesetter.
The Age: It is a measure of his physiology and the thinking of modern football conditioning that Cameron Bruce is all but in Melbourne's team for its match against Carlton on Sunday, having played two quarters of VFL in the six months since the end of last season. Unless Bruce awakes this morning with a niggle no-one was anticipating last night after he produced a competent first half for Sandringham against Williamstown at Trevor Barker Oval, the 26-year-old midfielder will play in round one.
Courier Mail: LIONS star Nigel Lappin says a new-found confidence his AFL career is far from over has convinced him to take the long-term option of ankle surgery. The 257-game veteran injured his ankle in the Lions' final pre-season match against Collingwood.
